CHAMPAIGN – State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) joins Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White to announce the 16th annual Illinois Emerging Writers Competition Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award.

“This is a great opportunity for talented writers to showcase their creative writing,” Bennett said. “Winning can bring emerging poets recognition and generate valuable publicity.”

The competition is named in honor of the late Pulitzer Prize-winning Illinois Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks and is co-sponsored by the Illinois Center for the Book. The competition to recognize new literary talent in the state is open to Illinois residents age 18 and older and has an entry deadline of June 30. To submit an entry, please visit the link here.

The award for first place is $500, second place is $300 and third place is $100. Winning poems will also be submitted for possible publication in Illinois literary magazines, including: “Ninth Letter,” “Quiddity” and “RHINO Poetry.”

For more information, contact Illinois Center for the Book Coordinator Bonnie Matheis at 217-558-2065 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

CHICAGO – State Senator Heather Steans issued the following statement on news the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of extending Title VII employment protections to LGBT workers:

“This decision represents long-overdue acknowledgment that LGBT people deserve protection against arbitrary discrimination on the job,” Steans said. “I hope this decision also serves as the basis to undercut the president’s cruel move last week to deny trans Americans the right to medical care. This decision is justice for the LGBT community.”

The Supreme Court’s decision applies to two sets of cases. One involved a pair of lawsuits from gay men alleging they were fired because of their sexual orientation, and the other involved a suit from a transgender woman, Aimee Stephens, who alleged she was fired when she revealed her gender identity to her employers.

The ruling explicitly establishes that workplace discrimination against LGBT people violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a conclusion first drawn by federal courts in Chicago and New York.

“In Title VII, Congress adopted broad language making it illegal for an employer to rely on an employee's sex when deciding to fire that employee,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in his ruling for the majority. “We do not hesitate to recognize today a necessary consequence of that legislative choice: An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law.”

WESTERN SPRINGS – State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) reminded taxpayers that state individual income tax returns and payments are due July 15.

“The state has extended its income tax deadlines to help working families struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Glowiak Hilton said. “This extension has hopefully allowed taxpayers to take the time they need to recuperate after unexpected losses in revenue.”

Those who have yet to file their 2019 state individual income tax returns must act by July 15 to avoid penalties and interest. The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) estimates that 81% of state individual income tax returns have already been filed as of this week. IDOR recommends that individuals file their taxes online at www.MyTax.illinois.gov.

While IDOR offices are closed to the public, they can be reached online at tax.illinois.gov or by phone at 800-732-8866 to answer any questions.

MARYVILLE — Recognizing the lasting, devastating financial effects the COVID-19 pandemic could have on working families, State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) joined lawmakers Monday to announce state funds being made available to help residents directly with their utility bills and to confront the root causes of poverty.

“This pandemic has been difficult for so many people. The last thing residents need to worry about is keeping the lights on,” Crowe said. “By investing funds in the LIHEAP program, Illinois is committed to supporting working families struggling to make ends meet.”

CHICAGO - State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) released the following statement in response to reports that 13 Chicago police officers were caught on tape lounging and sleeping in the congressional campaign office of U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush while violence and destruction ensued in the surrounding neighborhood:

"The disrespectful and careless behavior of these officers shows that there are two different standards of policing in Chicago, depending on which neighborhood you live in. It also further erodes public trust in law enforcement at a time when cultivating a positive relationship between police and the residents they serve couldn’t be more important. Needless to say, our neighborhoods deserve better than this."

GRAYSLAKE — As parents gradually return to work outside the home, State Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) is encouraging child care providers to take advantage of the $270 million Child Care Restoration grant program, included in the recently approved state budget. 

“During the pandemic, we’ve seen a decreased need for child care, as more parents were forced to stay and work from home,” Bush said. “Now that our state is beginning to reopen and more parents have to return to work, many children will once again need a place to receive care during the day. This grant program will help child care providers stay open and reopen to accommodate the needs of returning parents.” 

The Child Care Restoration grant program will dedicate at least $270 million of the state’s Coronavirus Urgent Remediation Emergency Fund to support the economic needs of child care providers while the state’s economy reopens in the coming weeks.

The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Human Services, is responsible for the development of the grant program for licensed child care providers. The Child Care Restoration Grants will be overseen by the the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies.  

The recently launched “Intent to Apply” online survey can be found here. All information provided will impact the development of the grant program slated for release in July 2020. Eligible providers will receive their first installments later in the summer. The survey will remain open until 5 p.m. on June 19, 2020.

More information can be found here. 

CHAMPAIGN – As temperatures rise, State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) is urging outdoor workers to familiarize themselves with the warning signs and preventative measures for heat-related illnesses.

​“As summer approaches, so do the dangers of working outside during hot weather,” Bennett said. “For workers who are exposed to the heat over the course of a work day, taking safety measures is an important part of staying healthy and comfortable.”

More than half of outdoor, heat-related deaths occur in the first few days of working in hot situations because the body needs to build a tolerance to heat gradually. Workers that do not acclimatize to the heat and humidity face a much greater risk factor for serious injury or death, according to the Illinois Department of Labor.

While heat can affect anyone, it poses specific dangers to workers who do physical labor in the humidity – both indoors or outdoors.

Heat stroke is the most serious heat-related health problem and can be fatal if not recognized and treated quickly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of heat stroke include:

• Confusion, altered mental status, slurred speech
• Loss of consciousness
• Hot, dry skin or profuse sweating
• Seizures
• Very high body temperature
• Fatal if treatment delayed

To prevent heat-induced illnesses, frequent breaks in the shade to drink cold water are recommended. For more information and other recommendations, visit www.cdc.gov.